Boat



Feb. 21, 1961 K. PARKER ETAL 2,972,322

. BOAT Filed Feb. 9, 1959 INVENTORS. KENNETH PARKER JOHN NOREK Qua/772MATT Y.

boat.

United States Patent BOAT Kenneth Parker, Janesville, Wis., and JohnNorek, Newport Beach, Calif., assignors, by mesne assignments, to GilmanEngineering 8: Manufacturing Company, Janesville, Wis., a corporation ofWisconsin Filed Feb. 9, 1959, Ser. No. 792,200 I 3 Claims. (Cl. 114-126)This invention relates to boat hull structures and in particular to therear or stern portion of a hull, including the transom thereof.

An object of the invention is to provide a hull structure whichdiminishes the pushing effect of a following sea.

It is another object to provide a hull structure which balances andstabilizes the boat during short, choppy wave conditions such as duringsimultaneous outgoing tide and incoming wind.

A further object is to provide a hull structure which protects thepropellers, the boat sides, and the transom from damage by bumpingagainst docks or other objects.

It is still another object to provide a hull structure which protectspersons from propellers and propeller shafts, when persons are in thewater about the boat.

A still further object is to provide a hull structure which permits aperson to securely place his foot or feet near the water, as in landinga large fish, or in helping a swimmer aboard, or in alighting from theboat to a low pier or other object.

These and other objects and advantages will become apparent from aconsideration of the following descrip tion and the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a boat embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevational view of the transom portion of the boat;and

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the rear portion of the Referring to thedrawings, there is shown a boat 4, floating in the water, riding at thecalm, standstill, normal load water line WL of the boat. The hull of theboat includes the bottom 16, the sides 6 and 7, and the transom 5.

The transom 5 of the boat is V-shaped, comprising a pair of flatsurfaces 5b and 5c, which slope rearwardly from the rear ends of thesides 6 and 7 as seen best in Fig. 3, and which meet midway the width ofthe stern at 5a. The surfaces 5b, So also slope upwardly and rearwardlyfrom the rear of the bottom 16 of the boat, as seen best in Fig. l.

One or more propellers, such as propellers 8 and 9,

are provided for propelling the boat. Propeller shafts 10 and 11 areconnected respectively to propellers 8 and 9 and are held by supports 12and 13. A rudder 14 is provided for directing the movement of the boat.

A stabilizer 15 in the form of a shelf-like ledge is disposed on thehull parallel to and just above the normal load water line WL. Thestabilizer 15 projects from each side of the hull and from the transom,extending along the sides rearwardly from a point ahead of the exposedportions of the propeller shafts, at approximately amid ships, to andacross the transom. The stabilizer 15 pro jects outwardly from thetransom, and from the sides in the vicinity of the propellers, at leastfour inches and preferably about six inches. This provides sufficientarea for the foot stepping function and for the balancing 2,972,322Patented Feb, 21, 1961 and stabilizing function as well as providingsufficient projection distance for the bumper-guard function. Thestabilizer 15 tapers, gradually diminishing in width in the forwarddirection, and may be only an inch or less in width where the stabilizerterminates, as at amidships. The stabilizer is positioned just above thenormal load water line, i.e. being within twelve inchesthereof, therebybeing in position to function effectively as a'stabilizer or balancer asexplained herein.

The invention is highly advantageous in boats of the eighteen tothirty-six foot class, but may also be advantageously employed withboats of lesser or greater length.

The invention diminishes the pushing eifeot of a following sea, which,in pushing against the transom of a boat, usually tends to lift thestern portion of the boat and lower the stem, bow, or prow portion ofthe boat. The V-shaped and sloping transom 5 divides the following wavesand directs them down against the top of stabilizer 15, tending to lowerthe stern and raise the bow, to thus counteract or compensate for theusual eifect of a following sea. This also prevents the stern portionfrom rising sufiiciently to bring the propellers out of the water andthus prevents the engines from racing. In this way the inventionstabilizes the boat and reduces pitching. The V-shaped transom dividesand directs the following waves against the top of stabilizer 15, notonly at the transom 5, but also along the rearmost portions of the sides6, 7, thus also balancing dissipating some of the wave force, therebyfurther minimizing the following sea eifect.

The stabilizer 15 also acts as a balancer or stabilizer under short,choppy wave conditions such as during the occurrence of an outgoing tideand incoming wind, and minimizes both pitching and rolling under suchconditions.

The stabilizer 15 also acts as a bumper guard and protects thepropellers and the boat sides and the transom from injury, asfrom'collisions with docks, floating objects, and the like.

The stabilizer 15 also acts as a splash board or spray guard, keepingsplashed or sprayed water out of the interior of the boat.

I The stabilizer 15 protects persons, who may be swimming in thevicinity of the rear portion of the boat, or who may have fallenoverboard in this vicinity, from injury by the propellers or thepropeller shafts, by keeping the persons further away, at a safedistance.

The stabilizer 15 also serves as a step or platform for a persons foot,during certain activities conducted from the rear half of the boat, andespecially at the transom, such as landing fish, or helping a swimmeraboard, or alighting from the boat to a low dock or other landing.

The stabilizer 15, in combination with the V-shaped and sloping transom,materially diminishes the eifect of a following sea and the pitching androlling due to short, choppy wave conditions, and serves to steady orstabilize the boat under most rough wave conditions.

We claim:

1. In a propeller driven boat, a horizontal stabilizer disposed on thehull parallel to and just above the normal load water line, saidstabilizer extending along each side of the boat from a point forwardlyof the propeller t0 and across the transom of the boat, said transombeing V-shaped and comprising a pair of surfaces sloping rearwardly fromthe rear ends of the boat sides and meeting midway the width of thestern, said surfaces also sloping upwardly and rearwardly from the rearof the parallel toand just above said-water line, said stabilizerextending along each .side of .the boat from a point forwardly of theprojecting portion of said shaft to and across the transom of the boat,said transom being V- shaped and comprising a pair of surfacesslopingvrear i wardly from'the rear ends of theboat sides and meeting.

midway the width of the stern, said surfaces also slopingupwardly andrearwardly from the rear of the bottornof the boat.

3. In a boat, a V-shaped transom comprising a pair of surfaces slopingrearwardlyfrom the rear ends of the References Cited in the file of thispatent UNITED STATES PATENTS Muschler Oct. 31, 1933 Hyde June 29, 1909Wieland July 18, 1911 Prosser Oct. 14, 1913 Finley Feb. 10, 1942 HigginsFeb. 13, 1945 Anderson Nov. 27, 1951 Canazzi May 4, $1954 FOREIGNPATENTS Great Britain of 1905

